Humanities Homework Help

Identifying Individual Culture(s): Dimensions of Diversity

The primary dimensions of age, race, gender, ethnicity, (dis)abilities, sexual identity, economic class (childhood), and religion (childhood) serve as core elements and shape our basic self-image and our fundamental view. They help form our core expectations of others in our personal and professional life. 

The secondary dimensions of culture including education, income/economic status, religious beliefs (current), relationship/parental status, geographic location, and work background serve as independent influences on our self-esteem and self-definition. This influence varies with who we are, our stage of life, and changes we have experienced. 

The graphic below dives into identifying individual culture(s) and the dimensions of diversity. We belong to several cultures simultaneously which create our identities, loyalties, and strengthen allegiances to our cultures. These dimensions of culture affect the way we view and interact with the world, but we rarely take time to carefully examine them. This exercise begins the process of carefully examining our own standpoint and culture. We can ask, how does culture affect our:

• Experiences?
• Values and Beliefs?
• Attitudes and Behaviors?

In this essay, you will explore the dimensions of the Identity Wheel (Who Am I), and find 5 different dimensions that highlight your cultural/life identity. You need to pick a least one from primary and one from secondary. The other three can come from either category. 

Your choices could be those with which you have built confident relationships, or those that you are trying to comfortably unfold. Explain your relationship with those dimensions and why they are significant. These stories will be told with a personal and subjective voice. Please only share what you comfortable doing so. These will only be read by me.

You must use Khakpour to highlight your argument. Begin your source integration by introducing the Khakpour writing for your readers. Like we’ve done previously, assume that your reader has not read the article/s. Give your readers the key info about the text, such as the full name of the writer, the title, and an overall summary of the text in your own words (basically teaching the text to your reader). Preview the idea/concept you want to quote by explaining it in your own words.

You must also use two additional sources that can be found through the GCC databases, as discussed in class, or other well-vetted sources. Don’t forget to add a signal phrase and parenthetical citation.

After each quote, explain what you think the quote means and how you think it reflects the argument you are making about identity and/or self. Analyze in no less than 3-5 sentences, per quote. You will likely have more.

Your paper should include the following requirements:

Your paper should be a minimum of 6 full double-spaced pages with 1’’ side margins, 1” header and footer margins, Times New Roman, 12 pt. font.

This paper should include a strong working thesis to help focus your essay; this is a main complex claim or thinking question you set up early on and develop/refine/complicate as the paper unfolds. Your claims should represent complexity in thinking through your ideas and need to be supported by detailed reasons and evidence.

You should be in conversation with your chosen and assigned texts. Keep in mind that you want your sources to be credible, or you have to make them credible through your own analysis. Don’t forget about the Library Databases!

As you incorporate your sources, accurately summarize the ideas, theories, terms, or concepts you are using from that source to offer context (making sure your summary is understandable to a reader who is not familiar with the source you’re introducing). Your sources should be a springboard for your own claims, questions, and analysis. In other words, you must “do something” with your sources. Be sure to clarify the meaning of the material you have quoted, paraphrased, or summarized and explain its significance in light of your evolving thesis – this is what the citation sandwich move is all about.

Support your claims with reasoning and evidence – making sure to link the evidence to the claim(s).

As you move toward the conclusion, address the “so what?” question for your thesis.

Clearly and explicitly explain your chain of reasoning – the thought-connections you are making throughout your draft between claims, evidence, & sources. The more clearly you explain connections to your readers, the more your readers will be able to follow your thinking.